Formerly Scary Words
by sunshyne6
Summary: LL. A fight with Chris reveals Luke's fears, but all ends well for our couple when they finally say those formerly scary words.


I own nothing. It's a little story that came to mind after seeing the promo for episodes after the winter hiatus.

**Formerly Scary Words** by sunshyne

They had danced.

They had shared laughter, and his eyes had crinkled with the biggest smile she had seen publicly. It was the mega-Watt smile that only she ever saw. But, as he held her and twirled her, he was carefree, enjoying the moment. Enjoying the feel of her in his arms and the smell of her shampoo.

If he were the type to daydream or fantasize, he would have imagined just for a moment that this was their wedding. Or that they would soon be dancing like this, but in different, more uncomfortable get-ups…and hey, for a one-time thing like marrying Lorelai, it might not be such a bad thing. But he wasn't the type to daydream, right? Well, maybe Lorelai was bringing it out in him. Now that he was finally on the right track, he could envision a future like that.

At least that was until HE showed up.

Christopher.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Lorelai. It was the fear of losing her now that he had things so good. Like waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop because things were finally going his way.

Christopher.

He didn't trust HIM. Christopher would breeze into Lorelai's life and leave a path of hurricane-like destruction in his wake.

And here they were yelling—a shouting match. His exterior had cracked.

Sure, it used to be that there was always rant at ready, but that urge had receded lately. Dare he say it? He had become happier. It was her fault. Lorelai had been bringing more laughter and smiles into his life from the very start, but now that they were together….well, the happiness factor was growing exponentially. It was getting increasingly hard to keep up his reputation as the gruff diner owner.

But now. Now, at a family function he and Chris were shouting while Lorelai stood watching, mute, shocked.

"We belong together!"

"Well, she's with me," Luke retaliated.

"For now…." The cutting blow.

Even Luke was taken aback, losing all momentum. His mouth still open, he swiveled his head from Chris to Lorelai and back again.

Chris stood with his arms crossed against his chest and a smug smile on his face. Luke tightened his fist at his side. He regained at least enough composure to refrain from decking this clown like he wanted to. Breathe, just breathe, he thought.

And then, this time, more slowly, he turned to Lorelai. She still stood petrified, mouth agape. And that was answer enough.

He stormed away and out the hall without a single word.

Outside, he cursed his temper. If he weren't, somewhere in the back of his mind, waiting for her to leave, waiting for her to realize he wasn't enough, waiting for it all to crumble, maybe he wouldn't have been so insecure and afraid that this was the beginning of the end.

Inside, Lorelai finally snapped to attention. She spotted Chris' smug look and finally comprehended the condescending way in which he assumed that she would fall all over him. As though she could depend upon him now! The nerve! And to treat Luke like that, challenging their relationship, hell, practically throwing her dubious romantic past in her face…and at her parents' "wedding" no less! That bastard!

With an icy calm, a set jaw, and a narrowed gaze, she finally spoke, "Chris, how dare you. I am happy. I am in love. And Luke is the best man in the world. I don't want to see you ever again. And I mean it." And with that, she turned on her heel and took off after Luke.

A now tongue-tied Chris watched her walk away. He'd seen her angry and yelling before. He'd never seen this Ice Queen routine. This was different, more final. And he finally conceded defeat.

Outside, Luke was sitting on the concrete planter next to Lorelai's parked jeep. Head in his hands, he was terrified. And right now he was wishing he had insisted on driving—at least then he could have taken off and left the horror show behind. That would teach him: always have an escape route.

The waiting was almost worse, and it was cold outside. Would she come?

He didn't have to wait more than a minute with his tortured thoughts. Then she was in front of him, running her had through his hair. He loved that…so, it had to be a good sign, right? She was at least touching him. It was one of her comforting gestures…usually saved for when they were alone and she was watching him cook, or when his was in her arms, resting his head on her chest, after they had made love.

He looked up, and Lorelai almost cried at the naked hope she registered in his eyes. How could he doubt himself, or them, like that? And in an instant she realized it was her fault. The lying about helping Chris, which she had thought was to spare Luke from being jealous, had only exacerbated any niggling doubts that were already there. Doubts planted from years of wondering if she would ever wake up and see him as something other than a caffeine pusher and personal handyman. Doubts that he would never be good enough.

Lorelai took Luke's two hands in her own and pulled him up. Still holding his hands in her grasp, she finally spoke, knowing that they needed this, "Luke, I'm so sorry he did this. I'm sorry that I've let him create doubt about us. I'm sorry I was too stunned to defend you properly until you left." She held up her hand to stop his words bubbling out.

"Hon, what we have is special. And it's not just 'for now'. I thought that after earlier in tonight you'd realize that this is different. This is something I've never done before. I mean, you said that you were "all in," and I thought that you got that I was too."

Luke looked puzzled. His eyebrows scrunched together, desperately trying to keep up and decipher what she was saying. "Lorelai, what are you talking about? How was tonight different? Once again, Chris makes an unexpected appearance in your life, you fail to speak up and I'm storming out?!"

"No, Luke, earlier…the dance."

"What about it? We've danced together before. I seem to remember it being one of the events that led up to us finally getting together. That's nothing different."

Lorelai wanted to smack her head. Apparently Luke hadn't realized what that dance meant. What the bandleader had said. Why SHE was the one to initiate it. That she was trying to tell him she was in love with him. Taking a deep breath, Lorelai realized that she was going to have to say the words for real. For the first time.

"Luke, hon, didn't you hear what the bandleader said before that dance?"

Even more confused, "No. Something about people joining the couple."

"Yeah, you lunkhead, something like that….He asked people IN LOVE to join the happy couple."

Lorelai waited. Watching.

She could almost pinpoint the moment when it finally sunk in.

"Wait! But you…you asked me," he finished on a whisper. Lorelai watched as his expression lightened, and the glimmer of hope transformed into something more dear, more intimate. A look of love.

Another deep breath before the plunge. Confirming the hope and love he was daring to show. "Yes, Luke, I'm saying I love you. I'm in love with you."

He let out a breath he'd been holding, slowly untangled his hands from hers, and pulled her closer with his hands clasped behind her back. Forehead to forehead, he gazed into her clear blue eyes. "Oh God Lorelai, I love you too. I'm in love with you."

Huge grins broke out simultaneously. And then he pulled her even closer and ever so slowly lowered his lips to hers.

They had shared many a kiss. But this may have been the most tender. He slowly, reverently, captured her lips. And she sighed at how sweet he was. The side that only she saw. And she reveled in it. She swept her tongue across his bottom lip and deepened their embrace. The low moan in the back of his throat made her grin, pulling slightly back. She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "Let me just get our coats and let's go home."

She darted off, and Luke shivered both at the timbre of her voice and at the sudden loss of her body heat. He couldn't help but grin as he replayed the past 10 minutes in his mind. She loved him. She was IN LOVE with him. They had said it. They were both all in, despite every hurdle thrown their way.

He found himself replaying her last words "let's go home." Like it was THEIR home. Not hers. It somehow seemed more permanent. This tiny shift in vernacular from "my place or yours" to an assumed "ours."

Perhaps that would be their next step, but for now he just wanted to bask in their love. Love. Just thinking the word made his grin wider.

Lorelai, holding their coats and her keys, stopped a few yards away and watched the expressions of joy play across his face. She thrilled that she could make him so happy. The same way he did for her. And she couldn't help but be proud of herself for saying the scary words. Powerful words. Formerly scary words somehow not so scary after all. Not scary because it was Luke, and it was finally right to say them. He was the right one.

Luke shook himself out of his reverie as Lorelai held out his coat. He then gentlemanly helped her into hers. Once in the car, she started the engine, and then turned toward him before pulling out. "You're not opening the diner tomorrow." He grinned back at her. "Better yet, we're both taking the day off."

He reached over and pulled her into a quick kiss, "Let's go home, love."


End file.
